WHILE many of us are deciding which resolutions to make for New Year, mum-of-two Lianne Williams doesn’t like to plan too far in advance.

WHILE many of us are deciding which resolutions to make for New Year, mum-of-two Lianne Williams doesn’t like to plan too far in advance.

The 32-year-old was diagnosed with terminal cancer in July.

She was determined to make Christmas a happy time for her husband Ben and their two sons Jack and Finn, but she doesn’t like to make too many plans.

She knows she would like to relearn the piano and hopes to have a family holiday in Centre Parcs in March but nothing will be booked until the last minute when she knows she is feeling well enough to go.

Lianne, an office worker, is unsure what the future holds but is determined to live life to the full for her boys, aged seven and five.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in April and faced the devastating news just three months later in July that it had spread to her liver and was incurable.

“I originally went to the doctor last Christmas as I had been experiencing some pain and my nipple appeared to be a bit misshapen but he didn’t seem concerned.

“By the April, the pain had almost subsided but the shape of my breast hadn’t changed and my nipple seemed to be a bit inverted.

“I thought it might have been a blocked milk duct or something like that but when I showed some of my friends, they told me I should go back and get it checked out again.

“I didn’t look on the internet to see what it might have been, but if I had I might have realised that it was an early sign of breast cancer.

“I was referred to the breast clinic and given an ultrasound and it all felt surreal really. She said immediately that there was a lump and sent it for a biopsy there and then.

“We were due to go to DisneylandParis when the results were due, she said to go ahead and have a nice holiday so we went and when we returned I found out I had breast cancer.

“I saw a surgeon who told me I would need a mastectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy and I thought that would be that.

“I thought they would do that and then it would be sorted. I kept saying to the girls in work, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ but I had no idea what was to come next.”

Further tests showed that Lianne’s cancer was very close to the chest wall and a CT scan revealed that she had specks on her liver.

Doctors told her they could be just cysts but further investigations revealed the horrific truth – the cancer had metastasised through her liver and was now incurable.

“I was completely devastated. It completely floored me, my husband Ben and I were in complete shock.

“I just remember going to see the oncologist and he said to sit down and all I wanted to do was get out of there. I couldn’t imagine telling all the family that I was so sick and that it was terminal.

“I haven’t wanted to say too much to the boys.

“Jack was young when his nana died from lung cancer and we don’t want to frighten him but he knows Mummy is ill and that she has something wrong with her boob. He doesn’t need to know any more than that right now.”

Lianne started chemotherapy straight away and says she is stable and feeling well at the moment. She has been able to work in between the cycles and although she has lost her hair, she is relieved that she hasn’t been too sick.

“Ironically, I felt really fit and healthy just before I was diagnosed. I’d just started running and really enjoying it. I’d done some 10km runs and the Bupa Great North Run.

“The chemo luckily hasn’t been too awful and I’ve managed to keep my lashes which is a relief. The hardest thing for me is that it’s made my nails all black and horrible, my joints ache and it can be difficult to sleep.

“I have good days and bad days but the boys keep us busy and Ben has managed to work from home, meaning he can help out with the more practical things like washing up and doing the laundry.

“We try not to think too far ahead and I never make plans too far in advance. I’m having a mastectomy in January and then radiotherapy in February.

“We’re hoping to have a family trip to Centre Parcs in March and I’m also hoping to do the Moon Walk and a sky dive for charity in May and have a family holiday in July but that’s as far as it goes.

“When I first started thinking about Christmas and New Year it really felt hard but more recently I just started looking forward to being with friends and family. My only resolution is to maybe have piano lessons and learn to play again.”

And, despite her prognosis, Lianne tries to face each day positively and not dwell too much on the past. She says: “Obviously, I sometimes have days when I feel angry that I didn’t push it more when I first saw the doctor but I have to take some responsibility that I didn’t push things more but I’m just not that type of person. I need to look forward now, and just take each day as it comes.”

Breakthrough Breast Cancer is working to stop women dying from breast cancer. Support their life-saving research by texting XMAS to 70300 and donate £3 today.

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